Architecture is one of those fields that cannot fulfill its agenda by itself. For architecture to become reality, not only do we (architects) often collaborate on designs, but we then need engineers, contractors, consultants, etc. to bring our work to life. This is sometimes painful, full of conflicts that can make the construction phase the least anticipated stage of a project, only made palatable by the fact that said project will soon become reality. So imagine my shock when I recently realized that collaborating with the builders, artisans and contractors on our projects in Niger is becoming one of my favorite aspect of architecture practice!

Living and working in West Africa roughly half the year, I have learned many lessons about practicing remotely and practicing in a "developing" country. For the past three years I have been going back and forth as projects demand, overseeing construction and touching base with clients. In case the articles in this blog haven't been clear enough, we are very much committed to re-thinking the way architecture is viewed and conceptualized in the African urban context.

We have an upcoming project. Normally, we prefer waiting until a project is under construction before talking about it. But this one is special, so we are VERY excited about it. It is an adaptive re-use project in a village of Niger that turns the local mosque into a library.

From the 11th to 16th Century, the Songhaï people had an empire that dominated most of the West African Sahel region and became, at its peak, one of the largest empires in African history. Its capital was Gao, but it saw the rise of well known cities such as Timbuktu and Djenné, which were important trading centers for the region.

In a previous post we discussed Hausa traditional architecture and its decorative facades, their meaning and the socio-economic implications they traditionally held.

While wall motifs often held a deeper meaning than their decorative aspect, most homeowners didn’t know what that meaning was. Rather, for them, the symbol lied in the actual existence of the motifs on their wall.

Recently, we have been looking at earth architecture in Niger and at the examples that pre-date French colonization. An enduring example of such an architecture can be found in the Southern part of the country where the Hausas live. The Hausas are one of the largest West-African ethnic groups spread across Niger, Nigeria, Cameroun and Ghana. Pre-colonization, Hausa master builders were an affluent and influential class, organized in a guild with rules and regulations.

Branching out to the "developing world" (especially to Africa) as a new source of architectural work seems to be the new thing for Western (especially European) architects these days. It is becoming increasingly common to come across competitions, exhibits, books and even university courses on the subject. It is a difficult and daunting undertaking that can be exciting, scary, immensely rewarding, while being strife with pitfalls.

As architects, we have been learning to do more with less since the last economic downturn. This proves very difficult as through the years, creativity in architecture has too often been synonymous with the technically heroic, the strange, or the purely sculptural... and too often, the expensive. These projects push the technological envelop, and can be quite astonishing and awe-inspiring, which is great. But surely, architecture